Progress!!!

We are now offically left the demo work behind inside. The outside is a whole different story, but the inside now looks like a house being put back together rather than a house that someone is in the process of destroying.

I am still stripping paint. Now that school is back in my sitter is available less often and so am I with soccer season in full swing and homeschooling taking up my week days, however our non busy hours are sort of clashing, so I am in the process of finding a back up sitter that can watch the kids when she can't. If you live here locally, and know someone let me know.

Anyway back to paint stripping, the full 7 hours I was able to put in last week I spent stripping windows, (except for the last 1 1/2 in which I spent at taco bell with my hubby followed by a neck cranking visit to the Lowe's lighting department where we picked out clearance priced lighting fixtures).

So really for 5 1/2 hours I stripped 2 windows, and a bit of a third, so just three windows, four door ways and about a miles worth of floor trim to go. I must say though I really kind of like paint stripping, its strangly satifying to see the wood emerge under layers of paint, using only my arm powered paint striping tool.

I am trying to convince Jack to let me insulate next. It looks like something I could handle, but Jack looks a bit scared about trusting me with blade sharp enough to cut insulation. (Must be that darn pumpkin carving incident still engraved in his brain, thats holding him back, and for those of you who don't know the story don't ask!!!) So for now I am paint stripping.

Jack has continued to work on the wiring. I am so excited about being able to pick where all the plugs go. Right now our upstairs has one plug per room and it can get kind of annoying at times.

For Some reason this gives me that AHHH feeling

Oh the little things that give you joy when you are renovating. I was over at the house the other day with the kids and walked into what will be our living room and felt so satisfied to find that Jack had actually insulated it (this was before I asked if I could insulate) and framed out the new front window (if you scroll down this is the window that is missing on the main floor front, and it should be in soon!!!)

We managed to get the insulation on sale too!!! I thanked God for that one, I mean really who hears of insulation going on sale. Our deals we have been finding are incredible I got 88 dollars light fixtures for $22 and $189 ceiling fans for $88, my living room chanadlier was $32 and I think it was originally well over $100. God keeps providing; everything big we have purchased so far has been discounted in some way, even the wire for the electrical was on clearance!!!

More progress!!

we now have a new furnance in our basement that is not the size of a NASA space ship. The heating and cooling guys figure it should be fully installed by Saturday. I happened to be the only one there when they came to mark out the ducts so I got to actually pick where they would make most sence (in other words not right under the spot someone would put a large piece of furniture)

Marion's newest park!!!

The picture above and below are taken in Marion's new playground in Matter Park. Every time I go I pinch myself cause I am so surprised to find such a great park in Marion. My kids love it and it is soooooooooo huge, these pictures are of only one small piece of it.

We go at least once a week (just thinking tonight would work great!!!) if not twice. The kids love it. Yeah Marion!!! Keep it up!!!!

A stolen Afternoon

Here are my three monkeys enjoying what might be one of their last swims for the season in our friend's backyard pool.

Monday I woke up and by 10 am I had that "got to get out there and enjoy the day " feeling. My agenda of course had homeschooling and several chores listed on it, but one thing I have learned these last few years is you got to cease the moment when God creates it.

By lunch time I gave into it. I called up a friend and said, "hey lets meet and go for a swim". She was game and we went, and I don't regret it one bit. Not even when I was cleaning up the house at close to 9 pm when the rest of the household was sleeping. (remember for me thats late, I am a early bird rising at 5 a.m. most days, and sometimes as early as 4:30, don't worry though I sometimes sleep-in to a sinful 7 a.m!!!!!! (lol) )

Thats one thing I love about homeschooling, I have so much more time to enjoy the kids. Sure we have educational goals to meet, but we can meet them on our schedual not on someone elses, which means we can take full advantage of those last warm days of summer, as well as those perfect bike ride days of fall, and those perfect tobbogan days of winter, and lets not forget those awesome puddle jumping days of spring ( yep even at 33 I still take time to jump in puddles, with my children, I even have my own flowered printed rain boots!!!)

Oh how fast summer flies is it really Labor day weekend already!!!!!!

Speaking of Educational Goals

To all you parents out there with children ages kindergarten to grade 2 I just tried the best educational computer software to date. Its called "Jumpstart World" and it is great. I had to ask Aiden to get off the computer after a solid 2 hours of him playing it and he is itching to get on it again tommorow. And the problems they have to solve to go on in the game meet state standards for education.